Lan Xu

Dr. Lan Xu serves as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant within the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, where she is an integral member of Dr. Alexandre De Mendoza Soler's Research Group at the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics. Her position is supported by the EU Commission - Horizon 2020 grant under the ERC StG 2020 project "Deciphering the evolution of cytosine DNA methylation across eukaryotes through experimental and epi".

Her research program centers on epigenetic mechanisms, with specialized expertise in DNA methylation dynamics across invertebrate models including Nematostella, eastern oysters, and annelids. She conducts comparative analyses between invertebrate and vertebrate systems to unravel the evolutionary conservation and divergence of DNA methylation inheritance patterns, employing reverse genetics methodologies such as morpholino oligomer delivery and immersion-based gene silencing to investigate gene regulatory networks during development.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory spanning marine genomics, epigenetic inheritance, and aquaculture biotechnology. Her work demonstrates methodological innovation in applying reverse genetic tools to non-model marine organisms, with recurring themes of epigenetic erosion during developmental and aging processes across bilaterian lineages. Key contributions include establishing gene silencing protocols for oyster and salmon development and uncovering conserved epigenetic mechanisms in annelid methylome evolution.

Dr. Xu's current research is exclusively funded through the EU Horizon 2020 project, with no additional grants or student supervision activities documented in available sources. She operates within the collaborative framework of the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, which provides specialized infrastructure for comparative epigenomic analyses across diverse eukaryotic systems.